CYRUS THE GREAT

 

“When we say God has a plan, He truly has a plan – not simply a grand scale, but for each of us as individuals, allocating some special talent to this dispensation and some to another. I regard God as the perfect personnel manager, even though He must work with and through all of us who are so imperfect.

“I assume, gladly, that in the allocation to America of remarkable leaders like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, the Lord was just as careful. After all, if you’ve got only one AbrahamLincoln, you’d better put him in that part in history when he’s most needed – much as some of us might like to have him now.”

-          Neal A. Maxwell, Deposition of a Disciple, p 46

God uses people with talents and skills that He needs to accomplish His purposes and whom He can trust to do so, whether they be His followers or not: “God the father of us all, uses the men of the earth, especially good men, to accomplish his purposes. It has been true in the past, as it is true today, it will be true in the future.” (Elder Ezra Taft Benson, In Conference Report, April 1972, pp 48-49)

Cyrus, the King of Persia, who conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., and inherited the exiled Jews, whom the Saviour called ‘my shepherd’ and ‘my anointed’ was one such person whose destiny was planned by God of Israel himself and who has used him for His purpose. Cyrus was born between 580-590 B.C. The destruction of Solomon’s temple and the final wave of Judah’s exile into Babylon happened in 586 B.C. One hundred and forty years before the exile and before Cyrus was born, prophet Isaiah prophesied of his specific earthly mission for which God would raise him up, to liberate the captive Israel after 70 years of servitude (Isaiah 44:28-45:1-5).

“To trace the life of Cyrus from his birth to his death, whether he knew it or not, it looked as he lived by inspiration in all his movements. He began with that temperance and virtue which would sustain any Christian country or any Christian king….Many of these principles followed him, and I have thought many of them were worthy, in many respects, the attention of men who have the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, vol 22, p 207)

The military conquests of Cyrus were nothing short of remarkable. Empires virtually fell into his hands and by the time he reached Babylon, he was considered a liberator and not a conqueror. The citizens of Babylon welcomed him with open arms because of his intended reforms that would make life better and easier for the common man. Babylon that was a fortress to be reckoned with was overthrown in one night as the city opened its gates to him without a battle and this is why:

“Cyrus was a born ruler of men. He inaugurated a new policy in the treatment of conquered peoples. Instead of tyrannizing over them and holding them in subjection by brute force, he treated his subjects with consideration and won them as hie friends. He was particularly considerate of the religions of conquered peoples. The effect of this policy was to weld his subjects to him in a loyalty which made his reign an era of peace.” (Elmer W.K. Mould, Essentials of Bible History, pp 348-49)

Numerous commentators have denied that Isaiah named Cyrus as the liberator of the Jews so many years before he appeared. They have argued that his name was added to Isaiah’s prophecy after his conquest of Babylon and the help he gave to the Jewish nation. Josephus, the Jewish historian, recognized Isaiah’s prophecy to be valid by quoting letters from Cyrus confirming the prophet’s predictions (see Josephus, Antiquities, XI, 1,2).

Cyrus not only had respect for the people he governed but he had respect for God whom he acknowledged as the fountain of his success. The God of Israel worked with this man to ensure he fulfilled his purpose:

“…the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying: Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, HE IS THE GOD……”  (Ezra 1:2,3)

If only all of us were so willing to obey and to acknowledge God as the fountain of our blessings…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Cyrus the Great by Unknown)

BE SANCTIFIED

 

“It is the right of all members of the house of Israel to see their King and enjoy His presence. This is a specific promise to those who will sanctify themselves (D&C 50:45-46; 67:10; 93:1). Since the scriptures teach that no unclean thing can dwell in His presence (see Moses 6:57), it is clear that the Saints who are caught up to meet Him must be sanctified.”  (Doctrine & Covenants Student Manual, p 336)

Sanctification is the second step in our preparation for the Second Coming as per D&C 133:4. The purpose of sanctification is to have our minds become single to God, through our repentance, so that we can be purified by the power of the Holy Ghost (D&C 88:68). Without sanctification we cannot be in Christ’s presence or the presence of the Father.

The Book of Mormon states that we can be ‘sanctified in Christ by the grace of God’ and that sanctification comes as a result of yielding our hearts to God through prayer, fasting and humility (see Helaman 3:35 and Moroni 10:33). However, repentance plays a major part in this  process because it leads to forgiveness which leads to sanctification. But not just any repentance:

“To every forgiveness there is a condition. The plaster must be as wide as the sore. The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin. There must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit. There must be ‘sackcloth and ashes’. There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil, confession of the error to properly constituted authorities of the Lord. There must be restitution and a confirmed, determined change of pace, direction and destination.”  (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Miracle of Forgiveness”, p 353)

A broken heart and a contrite spirit means ‘godly sorrow’ and not just abandonment of sin. It is going through godly sorrow that we lose the inclination to sin (see Alma 13:12 and 2 Nephi 4:31). Not that temptation no longer exists, because that is the nature of this fallen world, but we no longer seek it or are attracted by it (D&C 20:33-34). Because our hearts have been changed we have ‘no more disposition to do evil’ (Mosiah 5:2)

Imagine living in your finest outfit for a long time without changing. Imagine the collected dirt. Even though you realise where you’ve gone wrong and have made that outfit dirty, and you now try all you can to avoid adding more dirt, you are still dirty. The outfit needs to be washed to match your new life-style. This is what sanctification does. It washes you clean so you can be the new you.

Grant me the strength dear Saviour

To embrace the grandeur of my eternal goal,

That I might sin less and obey more.

Thou who art the deliverer of my soul,

May glory be Thine forever more.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

THE VALUE OF US

 

We preach extensively in the Church about the worth of a soul. I have read many times the scripture from which this concept originated (D&C 18:10). I understood this on a basic level until this week.

When God the Father showed Enoch His corrupted children that would be swept away in the flood, He wept at the loss (Moses 7:28). Enoch was beyond perplexed when he considered that God would sorrow over a ‘handful’ of His children compared to the immensity of His creations (v 29-31). The Father simply answered that these His children were ‘the workmanship” of His  hands (v 32). The dictionary defines ‘workmanship’ as ‘the product or result of labour and skill, or work executed’.

I pondered on this some years ago and considered the work that went into the making of us such as: 1. our spiritual creation which depended on the Father’s rise to Godhood; 2. Our spiritual tutoring for eons of time; 3. The creation of the earth for our mortality; 4. The overseeing of our earthly tutoring; 5. The preparation of kingdoms for our eternal destination; 6. The redemption of our souls through the sacrifice of another.

I also thought of the scale of guidance, protection, care, anguish and sorrow of our Heavenly Parents, the Holy Ghost, our guardian angels, our ancestors, our departed loved ones and all the hosts of heaven who know us….and not just what others have put into us but what we have put into ourselves….in this life and before we even came here.

I concluded from all my pondering we were like pieces of art from a Master’s touch but I missed one thing. I missed the love.

Yesterday, as I went through another bout of my suffering, into my mind came the Saviour on the cross and I could not help myself exclaiming: How much You must have valued us, sinners and saints, to be willing to go through Your unfathomable suffering! In that moment I understood “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (D&C 18:10), not because of all the work that went into us but because I understood our value from the Saviour of the world who claimed: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13).

The core of our value is love, for surely no man could have bled at every pore if there was no love. In that moment I understood my own worth because of the price of my salvation. And I  understood the love. Not just the love of Him who saved me but the love of Him who brought me into existence. Indeed we are children of God who loves us with a perfect love.

I worshipped You in heaven

As my Saviour and my King

I knew Your holy suffering

Would pay for everything.

Now I am here in my mortal frame,

I am amazed at the price You paid

For the value of my name!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Salvation by Ron DiCianni)

A SURE PATH

 

This must be the most comforting doctrine to all the perfectionists in the Church:

“God binds us to Him by covenant. However, it Is not just the physical process of making covenants that brings salvation. As we promise to abide by his laws and commandments, and keep the covenants, He commissions the Holy Ghost to endow us with fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, and meekness (see Galatians 5:19-23).

“These fruits are the very characteristics and attributes of God in which we have trusted and which we long to have in ourselves.” (Jerry A. Wilson, “The Great Plan of Happiness” p 5)

When I joined the Church in my youth and learnt about the Plan of Salvation, I gained one desire: to be a strong person. I am certain this was my goal in pre-mortal life too. I am also certain that I was informed back then that mortality is a state of weakness but somehow over the years of my life I lost that perspective and expected perfection from myself.

I took that “be ye perfect” mandate too literally and ignored the fact that nobody can become perfect in this life and most importantly, without the Saviour’s grace. I knew it theoretically but it’s like it didn’t apply to me so I kept perpetuating high expectations of myself which made me feel I was never good enough.

Now fifty years after I made covenants of obedience through baptism and the temple, I am starting to feel the fruits of the spirit softening my edges and refining my spiritual skills and attributes. I am beginning to see that my efforts are secondary to what God can make of me. The godly attributes we seek to develop are gifts and not our achievements. That, to every perfectionist is the greatest gift.

 

Because the valleys do not

Lead to where I need to be,

You give me mountains to climb

To discover Your divinity.

 

You are so high

And my reach is so low.

To come to Your arms

I accept the mountains

That show me which way to go.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Come Unto Me by Danny Hahlbohm)

TRUSTING GROWTH

 

"On my way to visit the Jameses the other evening, I saw a wheat field that appeared to be greener and taller than the others. Thinking about it for a while, I concluded that occasionally some loving farmer drives over the field with his tractor and dumps manure all over it.

“I thought, "My, it's just like life. Here we are minding our own business, growing our little hearts out. We're really quite green, somewhat productive and very sincere. When out of the blue, life deals us a dirty one, and we're up to our eyebrows in manure.

“We, of course, conclude that life as we have known it has just ended and will never be the same again. But one day, when the smell and the shock are gone we find ourselves greener and more productive than we have ever been! Unfortunately, no matter how often we go through these growing experiences, we are never able to appreciate the sound of the tractor or the smell of the manure."

• Harold W. Wood

“Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore, gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.”

• Richard G. Scott, "Trust In the Lord", General Conference Oct 1995

You flowed like a river through my heart

Showing me the wonder of You;

You lifted my eyes higher to see the majestic view.

You parted the heavens for me

And helped me see what I alone could never see;

You gave me the hope and the might

To be what I alone could never be.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Trust in Jesus by Yongsung Kim) 

THE ROCK

 

“……whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock – And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand – And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

(3 Nephi 14:24-27)

I am Messiah, the King of Zion, The Rock of Heaven (Moses 7:53)

Then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed The Rock of our Salvation (Deut 32:15)

Our fathers drank of that spiritual rock and that rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)

If ye are built upon my rock, earth and hell cannot prevail (D&C 6:34)

I am the good shepherd and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall (D&C 50:44)

“And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall”

(Helaman 5:12)

There is none like Thee,

The Rock of my Salvation,

My Saviour and My king;

My refuge from billowing storms,

From the devil’s mighty winds

And violent waves of the sea.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Wise Man by Haley Miller)

A DISCIPLE

 

 

“Behold, I am Mormon…..I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God…”  (3 Nephi 5:12,13, 20)

I don’t know that anyone in the Book of Mormon deserves the title of the ‘disciple’ more than Mormon. Consider the meaning of what being a disciple means:

“To be a true disciple [of Christ]…..is the most demanding regimen known to man. No other disciple compares…in either requirements or rewards. It involves the total transformation of a person from the state of the natural man to that of a saint, one who loves the Lord and serves with all of his heart, might, mind and strength.” (Chauncey C. Riddle, ‘Becoming a Disciple’, Ensign Sept 1974, p 81)

A Christ’s disciple is someone who possesses absolute, unrestrained devotion to His teachings and a sacrifice of all that is necessary to maintain such a commitment. It is someone who is willing to take up his cross and follow Him up the hill of their own Calvary for being a disciple of Christ can bring to us a certain special suffering. Only the cross has the power to transform  us into the likeness of Him whom we follow.

Consider the life of a man called Mormon, who was faithful to the latter in one of the most evil societies that have ever existed. A people who were so wicked that the Holy Ghost was entirely withheld from them (Mormon 1:14); who 'willfully rebelled against their God' (Mormon 1:16); who, in their extremities 'cursed God and wished to die' (Mormon 2:14); who were consumed with revenge (Mormon 3:9-10); who forcibly deprived women of their virtue, killed them, and 'devoured their flesh like unto wild beasts' (Moroni 9:10).

Not only did Mormon continue to love and serve his people who had descended into the pit of hell and who refused to repent, but he fought along-side them knowing they were doomed and when the Nephites went down to complete destruction, he went down with them.

This alone is exemplary but the spiritual warrior within him is more so. His driving force should inspire us all the days of our lives to fight the battle to the end remembering the echo of his words to Moroni, his son: ”for we have a labour to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness…” (Moroni 9:6). 

Is this not being a disciple of Jesus Christ????

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Master's Call by Phil McKay)

THE POWER OF A NAME

 

I am pretty certain that Mormon admired Captain Moroni immensely, for how else could he have written that monumental description of him in which he said ‘if all men were like Moroni, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men’ (Alma 48:17). I am equally certain that this admiration extended to the naming of his son. I think Mormon hoped in his heart that his son would become a valiant man like the one he admired. Moroni, the son of Mormon, was a valiant man, in every way, like his predecessor.

Helaman, the son of Helaman, named his two sons Nephi and Lehi. And this is the reason that he gave: “Behold, my sons, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem….so that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and… remember their works and….ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good” (Helaman 5:6). This is the most Helaman hoped for, that his sons would be good. Nephi and Lehi did remember and they far outweighed their father’s expectation (v14). They devoted themselves to preaching the word, made many converts amongst the dissenters (v 17), baptised 8,000 Lamanites in and round about the land of Zarahemla (v 18,19), courageously proceeded to the land of Nephi, where they were imprisoned, divinely rescued and ministered to by angels (v 48). Following their ministry, the Lamanites became a more righteous people than the Nephites (Helaman 6:1).

As Church members, we are more commonly known as Mormons.  Some members of the Church resent being called Mormons because more often than not, this name overshadows the fact that we are Christians to the rest of the world.  However, the rest of the world doesn't know Mormon like we know him. In my opinion Mormon was one of the most Christ-like people to have ever graced this earth. For that reason, being called Mormon to me is just about the same as being called a Christian.  

When President Hinckley was a missionary in England he asked one of his associates how they could get people, including the members, to speak of the Church by its proper name. His associate answered that they couldn’t do it because the word Mormon was too deeply engrained and too easy to say. He said he tried and gave up because he was not ashamed of the nickname Mormon. He then added: “If there is any name that is totally honourable in its derivation it is the name Mormon. And so, when someone asks me about it and what it means, I quietly say – Mormon means more good” (The Prophet Joseph Smith first said this in 1843: Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 299-300). President Hinckley then went on to pay homage to the prophet Mormon, to his greatness and his goodness and said that ‘while he sometimes regrets that people do not call this church by its proper name, he was happy that the nickname they use is one of great honour made so by a remarkable man and a book which gives an unmatched testimony concerning the Redeemer of the world’ (Gordon B. Hinckley, Mormon Should Mean ‘More Good’, GC October 1990)

In Mosiah 5:7-12, the word 'name' occurs 11 times.  These particular scriptures contain King Benjamin's address to his people who were willing to take upon themselves the name of Christ. By virtue of our baptismal covenant we become Christ's sons and daughters and thereby we take upon ourselves His name, much like we take upon ourselves our earthly father's name when we are born into mortality.  At baptism, however, Christ becomes our spiritual father and we thereby become Christ-ians. What we do with Christ's name speaks volumes about our integrity and our character.

The Saviour will hold us responsible for His name when we face Him at the judgment bar.  As his children, it is our duty to bring honour and glory to his name through the life that we live.  For this He will exalt us so that we can have all that He has and be all that He is.

When in clouds of heaven He appears,

And I stand in the shadow of His frame,

I want to hear the Saviour say:

I love what you have done with my name! 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: With All Thy Heart by Yongsung Kim)

ALMA, THE GOOD FATHER

 

Some time ago I wrote about the father-son relationships in the Book of Mormon. I find nothing more endearing than a strong father figure. When I read this touching declaration in the Book of Mormon: "I am Helaman, the son of Alma" (Alma 58:41), I go weak at the knees. Alma’s legacy of righteousness and service had no doubt great impact on his sons, but his parenting was not a whit behind. Alma took the command he received to teach his sons with great seriousness (Alma 39:12). His counsel to them reads like personalised scripture sermons.

To Helaman, the heir apparent, Alma entrusted the gold plates and impressed upon his mind the seriousness of his charge and the importance of scripture. He stressed that the record in his possession was sacred because it will be the instrument of salvation for future generations  (Alma 37:18). He impressed upon him that the safety of the record depended upon Helaman’s obedience to the commandments (v 16). And then the warning: if he transgressed the commandments, the plates will be taken away from him ‘by the power of God’ and he shall be delivered up unto Satan, ‘that he may sift him as chaff before the wind’ (v 15). I think you cannot get more serious than this. Considering who Helaman became, we can conclude that he understood that. “I am Helaman, the son of Alma” has more meaning than just a parental lineage, I think it also stands for “I am my father’s son”……..

Whereas Helaman’s counsel consisted of two lengthy chapters, the righteous Shiblon who was chosen for the mission to the Zoromites, only received one relative short one but the emotive tone of this chapter is unmistakable. Shiblon’s faithfulness, patience, diligence and long suffering during his ministry was rewarded with terrible treatment from the Zoromites to the point of stoning (Alma 38:4). It makes one weep to read of it. One cannot fail to feel Alma’s joy about this obedient son. His main counsel to Shiblon was to remember to put his trust in God, always, for his deliverance (v 4). I think Alma felt Shiblon would need that remembrance for future trials he might have to suffer.

Alma recounted his conversion experience to both Helaman and Shiblon but not to Corinaton who engaged in serious sin and abandoned his mission (Alma 39:2-3). His counsel to Corinaton was extensive and covered four chapters during which he called him ‘my son’ 24 times. The anguish and compassion and love is unmistakable in these chapters. It is evident that all three sons received counsel they individually needed. What Alma addressed in his talk with Corinaton was what he ‘perceived’ this son needed to hear (40:1; 42:1). This was obviously needed more than his father’s conversion story because Corianton repented and resumed his missionary labours (Alma 42:31). He remained ‘a just man walking uprightly before God’ like his brother Shiblon (Alma 63:2).

Reading ‘my son’ so many times in four chapters reminded me of someone else who said the same. When Joseph was a prisoner in Liberty jail in 1839 he called upon the ‘Lord God Almighty’ out of his anguish and in response he received: ‘My son, peace be unto thy soul….” (D&C 121:4,7). In 1830 Joseph received a revelation for Emma in which the Lord addressed her as ‘my daughter’ (D&C 25:1). As a side note, this is another proof of Joseph’s validity as a prophet because it would have never occurred to him to call his wife ‘his daughter’.

The Saviour confirmed that ‘all those who receive His gospel are sons and daughters in His kingdom (D&C 25:1), therefore every bit of advice, every bit of counsel, every warning, every expression of love, mercy and tenderness in the scriptures given to us from the Saviour is counsel, guidance and command from a concerned, loving and invested Father. He is the ultimate ‘Alma’. May we view the scriptures we hold in our hands as the fatherly counsel we should cherish all the days of our lives. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Suffer the Children to Come Unto Me by B. Laura Wilson)

THE HEART OF THE SHEPHERD

 

"Some years ago, it was my privilege to visit the country of Morocco as part of an official United States government delegation. As part of that visit, we were invited to travel some distance into the desert to visit some ruins. Five large black limousines moved across the beautiful Moroccan countryside at considerable speed. I was riding in the third limousine, which had lagged some distance behind the second. As we topped the brow of a hill, we noticed that the limousine in front of us had pulled off to the side of the road. As we drew nearer, I sensed that an accident had occurred and suggested to my driver that we stop. The scene before us has remained with me for these many years.

An old shepherd, in the long, flowing robes of the Saviour’s day, was standing near the limousine in conversation with the driver. Nearby, I noted a small flock of sheep numbering not more than fifteen or twenty. An accident had occurred. The king’s vehicle had struck and injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd. The driver of the vehicle was explaining to him the law of the land. Because the king’s vehicle had injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd, he was now entitled to one hundred times its value at maturity. However, under the same law, the injured sheep must be slain and the meat divided among the people. My interpreter hastily added, “But the old shepherd will not accept the money. They never do.”

Startled, I asked him why. And he added, “Because of the love he has for each of his sheep.” It was then that I noticed the old shepherd reach down, lift the injured lamb in his arms, and place it in a large pouch on the front of his robe. He kept stroking its head, repeating the same word over and over again. When I asked the meaning of the word, I was informed, “Oh, he is calling it by name. All of his sheep have a name, for he is their shepherd, and the good shepherds know each one of their sheep by name.”

It was as my driver predicted. The money was refused, and the old shepherd with his small flock of sheep, with the injured one tucked safely in the pouch of his robe, disappeared into the beautiful deserts of Morocco.

As we continued our journey toward the ruins, my interpreter shared with me more of the traditions and practices of the shepherds of that land. Each evening at sundown, for example, the shepherds bring their small flocks of sheep to a common enclosure where they are secured against the wolves that roam the deserts of Morocco. A single shepherd then is employed to guard the gate until morning. Then the shepherds come to the enclosure one by one, enter therein, and call forth their sheep – by name. The sheep will not hearken unto the voice of a stranger but will leave the enclosure only in the care of their true shepherd, confident and secure because the shepherd knows their names and they know his voice.

-        (Elder John R. Lasater, “Shepherds of Israel”, Ensign, May 1988, p 74)

How dear to the heart of the Shepherd

Is the flock of His sheep;

With tenderness and love

He watches over those in His keep.

How much do they love their Shepherd!

How closely they stay by His side!

With every footstep they follow,

To forever with Him abide,

All eternity wide.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: AI Generated) 

LONGING

 

I long to be where I once was,

A child in my eternal home.

I long to see the God of love

And with Him walk the heaven’s floor.

The most endearing thing that Alma said about his miraculous conversion was this: “……I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea,  AND MY SOUL DID LONG TO BE THERE” (Alma 36:22).

I often think that it’s just as well we cannot remember our Father in Heaven vividly else we would not be able to endure being here in this dismal world of sorrow and pain and wickedness. My mind reverts to the rebellious Cain who was pained at the very thought of not seeing God’s face again when he was banished from His presence. I can just hear the desperation in these words: “….from thy face shall I be hid…..my punishment is greater than I can bear” (Genesis 4:13,14).

I am certain that Alma’s conversion had such a strong bearing on him because of his godly suffering for his sins but I am also certain that longing to be in God’s presence was a great motivator for the rest of his life. His drive to cry repentance to others so they can be spared of suffering for their sins was no doubt aided also by his desire to bring them back into God’s embrace else why would he have  exclaimed: “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!” (Alma 29:1).

The longing can be ours for the taking if we draw ever closer to the Father and His Beloved Son as we live the Gospel and are recipients of His spirit on daily basis. The closer we draw to Him, the greater the frequency of enjoying His spirit which will make Him a reality we will long for. May we not be found saying on Judgment Day: from thy face shall I be hid, my punishment is greater than I can bear…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: He Lifts Me Up by Danny Hahlbohm)

IN TRIBULATION AND CAPTIVITY

 

The winter of 1838-39 would have been the crucible of Joseph Smith’s life. It was the coldest winter on record in the state of Missouri and Joseph and four other Church leaders found themselves in a hell hole of Liberty Jail ‘surrounded with demons….where they were compelled to hear nothing but blasphemous oaths, and witness a scene of blasphemy, and drunkenness and hypocrisy, and debaucheries of every description’ (History of the Church 3:290). In his letter to Emma on 21 March 1839, Joseph told her that “pen, or tongue, or angels” could not adequately describe “the malice of hell” that he suffered there (Personal Writings, 463, 464).

Liberty Jail was an inescapable prison with four feet thick walls.  It was a two-storey establishment with a rope and a bucket as the only link between the dungeon and the upper floor. It was in this dungeon of rough bare stones for a floor, covered by a bit of loose, dirty straw that Joseph and four others spent the cruelest winter of their lives. It was also through this depth of despair that the Lord gave us three of the most valuable sections of the Doctrine and Covenants: 121, 122, 123. Out of his extreme aloneness, when he felt the furthest away from heaven’s door, Joseph received glorious answers to his most heart-wrenching petition. Into the pit of hell known as Liberty Jail, where he knew not how long he would languish, came the most loving voice of God, addressing him in the most tender manner, as someone who knew the very depths of his soul: “My son, peace be unto thy soul…..” (D&C 121:7-8).

I wonder if Joseph ever reflected on another servant of God with a similar experience of tribulation in captivity, the man whose very experience he translated from the gold plates. Alma, and his convert and missionary companion, Amulek, found themselves in captivity in the most wicked city where they sat in a dungeon naked, suffering hunger, thirst, and physical abuse by their captors (Alma 14:18-23)….and having witnessed the catastrophe of Ammonihah in which the wives and children of the newly fresh converts were consumed by fire (Alma 14:8). Being constrained by the Spirit to prevent this tragedy was excruciating to Amulek who would have known these people of his city well (v 10,11). Amulek had many friends and kindreds in Ammonihah and was a rich man (Alma 10:4). He had an extensive household with wives and children (10:11). It is not clear from the record whether these children were young or grown and whether his family also perished in the fire. One thing we do know is that Amulek was left without family and possessions. Following their prison break-out, Mormon recorded that Alma took him back to Zarahemla to live with him and his family and ‘administered unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord’ (Alma 15:18). Amulek had undergone the most traumatic  change in his life. The painful effects of such on body and mind would have been extreme.

In the extremity of his captivity, Alma also, like Joseph, offered the most heart-wrenching petition to God when he asked: “How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord?” (Alma 14:26). One would wonder why the Lord would allow his most chosen servants to suffer so unjustly. The same for us who are striving so hard to be righteous and who inevitably come to face a crucible of our own lives. We often feel that we do not deserve it…..except there is an explanation. If we would be followers of Jesus Christ we must follow where He leads. Salvation and especially exaltation, comes at a price, and that price invariably leads to Gethsemane. If Christ himself did not suffer there, our trials and tribulations would be ever so much worse. He suffered the blow so that we wouldn’t but has given us a glorious promise through Joseph, our beloved prophet: “thy God shall be with you forever and ever” (D&C 122:4,9) and then the ultimate: “All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ” (D&C 121:29).

-        CATHRYNE ALLEN

(I highly recommend the BYU talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland titled “Lessons from Liberty Jail” at speeches.byu.edu)

(ART: Replica of  Joseph Smith at Liberty Jail by Val Brinkerhoff)

THE NOBILITY OF SACRIFICE

 

In finishing the book of Mosiah this year, I have come to take notice of something about the sons of Mosiah than I had noticed before. Their desire to preach and live with the Lamanites has always impressed me but this year I saw the anguish of their father with whom they pleaded for allowance of such a mission for many days (Mosiah 28:5). The anguish must have been great for Mosiah to approach the Lord for assurance that they would be spared and granted success, which was given (Mosiah 28:6-8). What is interesting is that Mormon mentions the sons’ departure in verse 9 and shortly thereafter he records Mosiah’s death (Mosiah 29:46) suggesting that he never saw his sons again. The nobility of sacrifice……

The sons of Mosiah spent 14 years with the Lamanites. Such sacrifice reminds me of the men of the early pioneers who left their families and travelled far and wide to spread the gospel and ensure the growth of the Church that we enjoy today. As with the sons of Mosiah, they had no mission home, no mission president, no companions even. Many of them travelled and preached alone…..relying on people they didn’t know to feed them and give them shelter to sleep. I stand in awe of such sacrifices as I sit in my air-conditioned chapel and padded seats of the temple enjoying the fruits of their labours. Such nobility of sacrifice…..

When I was waiting for my mission call in 1979, I hoped to go somewhere exotic, in fact, anywhere but Australia, where I lived. I am of Croatian descent and speak the language perfectly so I had hoped that Europe would be my destination. Imagine my disappointed when I was called to Western Australia…..where the only hardship I suffered was the heat! I had a loving Mission President who somehow understood my distress over losing my femininity on a bike in the rain….I had wonderful missionary companions, one of which is one of my dearest friends today. I was surrounded by members who liked me, I taught many people and had a good number of baptisms. Above all, my strict mission taught me the imperative importance of obedience. It was a time in my life I remember with fondness. A small sacrifice really of just 18 months of my life. Nevertheless, I was a new convert to the Church and would like to think there was some nobility in my sacrifice.

Not much of us is expected today in comparison to the people that have gone before us. We are asked to attend Church, fulfill callings, keep the commandments. All this requires ground work however. Sometimes even regular scripture study requires sacrifice. I understand the pressures of modern-day life. I see it in young families and feel grateful I am at the tail end of my life and not at the beginning. Our sacrifices are different and tailored for this day and age, nevertheless, they are needful. From the person who understands the most what sacrifice is: “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation” (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith, Lecture 6:7). And this is why:

“You are on the pathway to eternal fame and immortal glory” - Joseph Smith 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Gift by Annie Henrie Nader) 

-   

THE PROPHET OF THE RESTORATION

 

When I went searching for the truth at the ripe old age of 16, I read a lot about the Church.  By the time I sought to be baptised, there was nothing much the missionaries could teach me. I knew all about Joseph Smith and accepted his prophetic calling without question. My real testimony of him, however, came 30 years later when I was working towards my University degree. I decided I would do a history assignment on the Church. This time I read much more about Joseph, as so much more was available online. What I read, however, were things written by the so called ‘intellectuals.

Joseph was told by Moroni, when only a teenager, that his 'name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people' (JHS 1:33). The research for my assignment took me down the path that made me sorrow and shed tears. In the end I had to bend my knees and ask the Lord to help me understand the man Joseph Smith. What happened is not something I expected. I don’t know how it COULD happen but it did. During the course of my prayer, I was ‘shown’ Joseph Smith’s heart. I understood that all he did during his prophetic calling was done out of the goodness that lay there. As this understanding flooded over me I could not contain my tears and came to appreciate the great sacrifices he made in fulfilling his earthly purpose. I came to know and understand him in the spiritual sense and my testimony of him became iron clad.

It is my belief that we need to tread lightly when we delve into the past. I heard one of my University professors say once that history is very much subjective. Even though it is supposed to be cold hard facts, they are recorded from someone's perspective, a human perspective. We of this century cannot fully understand the mentality, the challenges and the pattern of how things worked in times past. Equally hard to understand to the people of other time periods would be our dispensation; the liberties we take, the freedoms we have, the technology which affords us the ease with which we perform our daily tasks, the stresses of modern-day living, our sicknesses, our anxieties, our depressions, our battle with forces of evil.  Some things we consider normal now would be considered unacceptable and inappropriate in yesteryear. Times change and with it the mentality of the people.

Joseph Smith is the root of our Church, the Church being an institution and establishment, not the Gospel. The root of the Gospel is and ever will be our Beloved Christ. He is the foundation on which the Church rests. We are blessed with immensely rich heritage as members of the restored Church. We should never be ashamed or reluctant to voice our witness of this heritage. When we tell non-members about our Church, may we always bear witness of the Prophet of the Restoration. I have heard it said, if a person cannot accept Joseph Smith, they can’t accept the Church. I share here a missionary story of the father of President David O. McKay to prove this point:

"He accepted a call to a mission about 1880. When he began preaching in his native land and bore testimony of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he noticed that the people turned away from him. They were bitter in their hearts against anything Mormon, and the name of Joseph Smith seemed to arouse antagonism in their hearts. One day he concluded that the best way to get these people would be to preach just the simple principles, the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the first principles of the gospel, and not bear testimony of the restoration of the gospel. It first came simply, as a passing thought, but yet it influenced his future work. In a month or so he became oppressed with a gloomy, downcast feeling, and he could not enter into the spirit of his work. He did not really know what was the matter, but his mind became obstructed; his spirit became clogged; he was oppressed and hampered, and that feeling of depression continued until it weighed him down with such heaviness that he went to the Lord and said: 'Unless I can get this feeling removed, I shall have to go home. I cannot continue my work with this feeling'.

It continued for some time after that, then one morning before daylight, following a sleepless night, he decided to retire to a cave, near the ocean, where he knew he would be shut off from the world entirely, and there pour out his soul to God and ask why he was oppressed with this feeling, what he had done, and what he could do to throw it off and continue his work....He entered that place and said: 'Oh, Father, what can I do to have this feeling removed? I must have it lifted or I cannot continue in this work'; and he heard a voice, as distinct as the tone I am now uttering, say: 'Testify that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God'. Remembering, then what he tacitly had decided six weeks or more before and becoming overwhelmed with the thought, the whole thing came to him in a realization that he was there for a special mission, and that he had not given that special mission the attention which it deserved. Then he cried in his heart, 'Lord, it is enough’……... (Gospel Ideals, pp 21-22)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph Smith at Saviour's Feet by Liz Lemon Swindle)

 

THE INFALLIBLE BOOK OF MORMON

 

I am often amazed at the critics of The Book of Mormon, especially those who claim they have read it and do not believe it. I do not understand how anyone who has read such a spiritually charged book could disclaim it. The only explanation I can come up with is this: “….when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1). Notice how Nephi says the Holy Ghost carries the truth UNTO people’s hearts and not INTO. The message can only ever penetrate the heart of the hearer if the hearer allows it. And because of this “….there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught” (v 2). In other words, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. (See also "Seek Learning by Faith by Elder David A. Bednar, Ensign Sept 2007, 61-68).

If you have ever had suspicions that an uneducated man such as Joseph Smith, or anyone else,  could have written “the full-blown history of an ancient people, following them through all the trials, triumphs, and vicissitudes of a thousand years without a break, telling how a civilization originated, rose to momentary greatness, and passed away, giving due attention to every phase of civilized history in a densely compact and rapidly moving story that interweaves dozens of plots with an inexhaustible fertility of invention and an uncanny consistency that is never caught in a slip or contradiction” (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.7, Ch.6, pp.137, 138), I offer the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland for consideration:

"[I only] say what so many have said before: that if Joseph Smith–or anyone else, for that matter–created the Book of Mormon, that to me is a far greater miracle than the proposition that he translated the book from ancient records with an endowment of divine power to do so. Has anyone here ever tried to write anything? Have you ever, with your degrees and libraries and computers and research assistants, ever tried to write anything anyone could stand to read? Even if you have, my guess is you haven’t succeeded at writing anything anyone would read more than once, or say it changed their lives, or say that were willing to leave family and fortune and future for–and then do it.

You thought it was tough to have your dissertation committee grill you for a couple of hours? How about tossing your piece of work to the most hostile–and learned–of enemies for, say, 164 years (just to pull a number out of the air). Go ahead. Put that terrific master’s thesis of yours out there under a microscope for everyone to kick and gouge and attack for a century or two, and let’s see how marvelous that university-produced accomplishment of yours really was. After a little of that, are you still standing by the divinity and immortality of your work? Is anybody still reading it?

In light of all this, as it applies to the Book of Mormon which is still changing human lives and still moving moral mountains, and as one who has tried to write a line or two of both poetry and prose and failed miserably, I want to meet the author of this work whoever it is. I want to praise first hand such a remarkably gifted writer. Surely in 164 years there must be someone willing to step forward– you know, the “real” author–claiming credit for such a remarkable document and all that has transpired in its wake…..Well, the simple fact of the matter is no other origin for the Book of Mormon has ever come to light because there isn’t one. A bad man could not have fabricated such an inspiring book and a good man would not have done so" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, CES Symposium, BYU Marriott Center, 9 August 1994).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mormon Abridging the Plates by Jon McNaughton)

THE KEY

 

 

Joseph Smith called the Book of Mormon the keystone of our religion (Introduction, The Book of Mormon). Bruce R. McConkie taught that Joseph's expression that "'the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion' means precisely what it says. The keystone is the central stone in the top of the arch. If that stone is removed, then the arch crumbles, which, in effect, means that Mormonism so-called -- which actually is the gospel of Christ, restored anew in this day -- stands or falls with the truth or the falsity of the Book of Mormon" (Bruce R. McConkie, Conference Report, April 1961, pp.38-39).

Personally, if I take the 'stone' out of it, I end up with the 'key' to all that the Book of Mormon represents to me: the key to my salvation which is in Christ, in His doctrine and in my testimony of same.

On the last leaf of the golden record, Moroni explained the purpose of the Book of Mormon. This explanation is found on the very first page of the book as we have it today. It can be summarized in three words: show, know and convince. To elaborate, it is to show the remnant of the house of Israel (Lamanites) what great things God had done for them; so that they may know the covenants and one day be converted; and it is to convince the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ.

When Joseph Smith called the Book of Mormon the keystone of our religion he also said that 'a man would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts, than by any other book' (Introduction, The Book of Mormon). This promise has been repeated by many other prophets since Joseph. In 1963, Spencer W. Kimball said this: "But after all, it is not the book's dramatic crisis, its history, its narrative that are so important, but its power to transform men into Christlike beings worthy of exaltation" (Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, April 1963, p. 6).

I have read and studied the Book of Mormon many times and I still continue to be mesmerised by the clarifications and purity which it contains of the doctrine of Christ. I love the Bible. I love the Old Testament which to me is the root of the covenant. I love the New Testament because it is the most spiritually charged book of scripture which brings the Saviour to reality but I am very passionate about TRUE doctrine and do not tolerate well hearing the doctrine of the gospel convoluted or misrepresented or diluted. The Book of Mormon excels in the verity of the doctrine. To me it is the KEY to the truth. It is my key to understanding Christ, His Atonement, His teachings, His saving grace.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Moroni Burying the Plates by Katie Payne)